COMMENT Is Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak a newcomer to Malaysian politics? Having been in the political arena for years, he seems quite oblivious to the happenings in the Indian community in Malaysia.

I am not sure to what extent he understands the politics within the MIC and other Indian based-political parties aligned with Barisan Nasional. In fact, Najib should understand that caste is not the main problem within the MIC or the Indian community, rather the problems of lack of accountability on the part of the leaders, for not taking up the problems faced by the community seriously, for failing to bargain hard and obtaining major concessions for the community and most importantly the Indian leaders, in the past and present, for not providing the leadership and vision for the community to advance like other communities.